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Thinking about trying your hand at playing live poker at the casino, but are unsure about your first time? Everyone has a little anxiety or nervousness about their first time, but don't worry, these tips will help you get ready for your first trip.

Steps

1

Get into a game when you first enter a casino or card room. Most establishments will have a front desk where you can talk to a floor person who will either put you in a game immediately, or place your name on a waiting list.

2

Read thoroughly over the house rules. Make sure they don't have any rules you are or were not aware of. This will save any embarrassing moments at the table if you don't understand something that is obvious to the regulars.

3

Decide exactly which variant of poker you want to play (Limit / No Limit), and then buy some chips. If you decide to play No Limit, it's suggested buying in for the minimum amount. If you are going to play Limit, then 20-25x the big blind is a good amount.

Once you've been seated and begin playing, you will soon win your first pot in live poker. As you are stacking your chips, always remember to tip the dealer. This is common courtesy, and at low limits a tip anywhere from $0.50 to $2.00 is plenty, although the amount is completely up to you.

4

Avoid hesitate to ask the dealer or floor person for assistance on anything. However, always give the dealer a chance to help you first, and then go to the floor if the dealer isn't answering the question to your satisfaction.

5

Have fun! Win money, interact with the other people at the table and loosen up.

Community Q&A

Tips

Some casinos and poker rooms have what are called "kill games". In these games there is a kill button which is given to the person who won the pot. If they win two hands in a row, the "kill" is on and they post double the big blind. From here on out, the stakes are doubled until the person who turned the kill on loses a hand.

Be sure to announce your intentions once you've made a decision. If you plan to raise but don't make your intentions known, and you place money in front of you and go to reach back for more, this will be considered a call. "String bets" are not allowed, so be sure to announce your intentions to the table every time.

Try to avoid getting into arguments with other players. You're there to have fun, and if you happen to run into the odd person who is having a bad day, just let their comments slide and have fun!

In lower limits, if it is folded around to the small blind, it is typically courtesy to "chop" the blinds. What this means is that the blinds take their money back and the next hand is dealt. This saves time for the other players, and likely saves you money as well, as a large percentage of the pot will be going to the rake anyway. You should do this regardless of whether you have 72 or AA.

Warnings

Be careful about sharing your cards with your neighbour even if they have folded. In some casinos, this will kill your hand and they will force you to fold.

Once you have called pre-flop, always place something, such as a chip, on your cards to protect them. If the dealer mistakenly grabs your cards and puts them in the muck, your hand will be dead.

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 18 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 33,791 times.